The present invention relates in general to cotton module builders, and more particularly to a cotton module builder with extractor apparatus for removing foreign matter from the seed cotton before the seed cotton is formed into a cotton module.
Cotton module builders of the type herein disclosed are well-known in the art and are fully disclosed in the patent to Orlando et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,047, issued on Mar. 2, 1976, for Cotton Module Builder. Apparatus for cleaning and extracting foreign matter from seed cotton is also well-known in the art. For Example, the Cotton Ginners' Handbook, published by the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, issued July 1977, Agricultural Handbook No. 503, obtainable from Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Printing Office, Stock No. 001-000-03678-5 discloses extractors for removing burrs and sticks from seed cotton in which seed cotton is fed to a large diameter saw cylinder by a kicker conveyor. The saw extracts foreign matter from seed cotton by centrifugal force. Additional saw cylinders are used to reclaim the seed cotton extracted with the trash. Trash is directed to augers for discharge.
In the patent to Bledsoe, U.S. Pat. No. 3,988,806, issued on Nov. 2, 1976, for Apparatus For Cleaning Seed Cotton, there is disclosed apparatus for cleaning seed cotton in which there is a primary rotating saw, a doffing brush, a secondary rotating saw and an auger conveyor.
Hesston Farm Equipment has manufactured and sold Hesston 3000 Cotton Harvester, which includes seed cotton cleaners. In the patents to Wagnon, U.S. Pat. No. 2,672,719, issued on Mar. 23, 1954, for Cotton Harvester With Cleaning Means, there is disclosed a cotton harvester with apparatus for separating cotton from the trash. The apparatus includes a cotton boll separator and cotton cleaning apparatus. Likewise, the patent to Wagnon, U.S. Pat. No. 2,707,364, issued on May 3, 1955, for Cotton Harvesting And Cleaning Machine discloses a cotton harvester with a separator and cleaning apparatus. The cotton harvester is mobile. The patent to Wagnon, U.S. Pat. No. 2,869,307, discloses a mobile cotton harvester with apparatus for separating the cotton boll and cleaning the cotton. In addition, a cotton baler is provided for the cotton harvester. The patent to Wagnon, U.S. Pat. No. 2,763,117, issued on Sept. 18, 1956, for Travelling Combination Cotton Shipping, Ginning, Pressing And Other Related Mechanisms, discloses a mobile cotton harvester. The mobile cotton harvester includes apparatus for cleaning the seed cotton and finally subjects the cotton to a pressing operation. Specifically, the machine picks the cotton, subjects the picked cotton to a series of processing operations and finally compresses the cotton.
In the patent to Spell, U.S. Pat. No. 2,625,783, issued on Jan. 20, 1953, for Cotton-Picking Apparatus, there is disclosed a cotton harvester with apparatus for cleaning the cotton or removing foreign material from the picked cotton. The patent to Kent et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,226, issued on May 6, 1975, for Cleaning And Discharge Mechanism For Cotton Harvesters discloses a cotton harvester with apparatus for removing the boll from the seed cotton. Apparatus for extracting trash from the seed cotton is also employed.
The patent to Husky, U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,003, issued June 21, 1977, for Field To Gin Cotton Handling And Storage Systems. The seed cotton is formed into modules by a module builder. After the module is formed, the module is transported on a tilt bed trailer to a gin yard for storage. The apparatus separating bolls and trash from the seed cotton, such as in a pre-ginning process, is connected to the trailer through a conveyor.